The Master of Me

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

        “Food. Shelter. Run. Food. Shelter. Run.” Alue murmured to herself as she scoured the desolate streets of the rundown part of town. She had on some ragged, green and black smudged, light blue capris, and an oversized, black, zipper hoodie, jacket. She had been on the run for a month. Managed to put a few hundred miles between her and what she was running from. Her mid-back length light brown hair was greasy and tail needed a brushing. She could count her ribs no matter which form she took and her eyes had a flicker of hope but fear clouded them over.

        As a petite framed, two leg she couldn’t move as quickly but fingers were quite useful in finding edible leftovers in people’s fridges once she got inside. She got clumsy though and nearly got caught breaking and entering one time when the alarm system alerted the owners via cell phone linked to security system on the windows. Since then she had resorted to avoiding possible capture and had recently taken up dumpster diving in the more populated cities.

        However, the area she was in now was kind of rural. The houses were further apart and there were no shadows of building to sneak around in or chain link fence to climb over. She could scent horses and other farm animals. It was a tempting thought to possibly hunt a creature like a lamb or goat in her wolf form, but she hadn’t had much success in hunting things that moved before in the wild. Plus, if she got caught she could be shot on sight and that wouldn’t be a good alternative. ‘Well anything is better than going back.’ She told herself, deciding on a nearby house that had a far off barn with a loft window open she could climb into for shelter, for the night. At least it was somewhere warm. It was better than a large dumpster or a park bench.

          The next morning her senses awoke her to something apparent, as her stomach let out a loud grumble at the smell of cooking meat, particularly bacon. Her mouth watered as she carefully and quietly crawled out of the hay bale she slept in, peeking out for the masters of the establishment before completely withdrawing and shook. She climbed down out of the loft cautiously, letting her nose guide her around to the kitchen of the house, where the small window was open letting the scent of the bacon wave through the air.

         ‘How am I to get in and have access to a quick escape route?’ she thought to herself, knowing she could jump up on four legs into the small window but it wouldn’t be stealthy. She snuck around the side, keeping low to the ground and found a back patio deck with a barbecue and a couple of chairs and a swinging bench seat. She longed to sit on the seat to swing but the scent of bacon pulled her back into her mission. The door was unlocked and cautiously she listened for movement inside the home. There was a doggie door flap but one nudge with her nose proved that it had some sort of barrier on the other side of it, denying access to inside the home. One sniff told her that the current home owner did not own a pet dog at this time. The flap held no fresh scent or fur on the edge.

        Her ears told her that the bacon was being fried up within the dining area and kitchen room vicinity to which the back door lead out from. She heard no footsteps, but the sound of pipes further down toward the south end of the house, suggested someone was using some sort of water. Deciding bacon was worth the risk of being spotted, she opened the door and used her nose to tell her if someone was close. Fresh scent of male was prominent, but her nose told her the source wasn't within the room. After taking a quick scan for the all clear, she moved in.

        Her weathered, black, athletic shoes did not squeak on this legitimate tile flooring as she tip toed over to the pan of frying bacon. Not really caring that it would need a minute more to become the perfect slice of cooked bacon of not too crispy but have some floppy give to it, she almost instinctively grabbed it with her fingers in her rush, at the last second remembering the hot grease. With awkward movement she grabbed the turning fork that was resting on a plate with paper towel under it, and scooped the bacon out of the frying pan. One piece stayed in the pan. Two landed on the plate with paper towel and another fell to the floor. Dropping the fork, her attention went to the piece that fell upon the ground. She crouched down and lapped it up hungrily, resisting the urge to change into her wolf form. Wolf preferred to eat raw and freshly killed substances, while human form liked rare delicacy like fried bacon. 

        She almost moaned as the hot bacon filled her mouth with flavors she hadn’t beheld in what felt like forever. Her tail wagged happily and when she stood up and reached for another piece, the sound of a male tenor voice filled her ears, “Aaa…hum…” Fear washed over Alue’s features as she shoved the piece in her mouth and fell to the ground changing into her wolf and making a dash for the door.

       The male though was closer to the door she had come in, and ran and shut it before the she-wolf could reach it. Skidding to a halt she changed direction, desiring to get out and away. “Stop! Please, stop!” the male called out. She didn’t listen. She refused to get caught. As she bunched her muscles and made a leap for the kitchen sink window, the overwhelming scent of the male filled her nostrils and suddenly the widow in her view grew smaller instead of bigger. He had tackled her in her wolf from and bear hugged her torso as the both of them tumbled down onto the floor.

        “Stop. I’m not going to call the police. Please don’t run.” The male asked, his voice kind, regardless of the fact that her smallish form and weak state enabled him to be a formidable opponent. She growled and thrashed in his arms. The bacon piece left in the frying pan overcooked and the scent of burnt bacon began to fill the room.

        “You can have the last edible piece of bacon, just don’t try to jump out the window, okay?” he compromised. Alue didn’t know if this was a trap. She figured it was, but her stomach was still ravaging for food, after just the two pieces she had earlier. She stopped moving in his arms and he released her slowly. When he stood, his hand reached over and turned off the stovetop then grabbed the last piece of bacon on the plate.

        Alue moved into the corner, feeling exposed as she crouched low to the ground, trying to look fierce unsuccessfully, while she cowered. She got a good look at the male now. His hair was dark brown, one or two inches long spiked up on top. His skin color suggested European lineage. Late 20’s or early 30’s in age. When he reached out his arm toward her with bacon in hand, she flinched and her eyes averted from his gaze.

        The male observed this and took a step back then crouched to her level. “Here. You can have it. It’s okay.” He reassured, holding it out. Alue cautiously stretched out and when she opened her muzzle to gingerly take a hold of the bacon, she got a glance of his ice blue eyes. She bit down on the bacon and he released the other end of it. Turning away she returned to the corner and happily crunched down on the bacon, awaiting the feeling of a kick or something against her side.

         Nothing happened. For several long moments, she tried to ignore the fact that she could feel the male’s gaze on her. With a surge of renewed energy, she braved turning around and found him crouched down like before in a non-threatening stance but not a submissive stance either. This was his home after all.

        “My name is Sterling. It’s nice to meet you.” He told her with a smile and sincere eyes. Slowly he stood back up and walked about, Alue crouched back down a bit, eyeing his feet. He looked to her when his hand reached the back door handle. “Don’t go breaking into other houses. Most of the ranchers aren’t fond of predators, no matter what other forms they can take.” He warned her then turned the handle and just before opening it said, “You’re welcome back to eat dinner at five p.m. if you want” then opened the door.

        Alue looked at it, unsure what to think of the young man or his words. Letting her fear get the better of her she shot out of the corner and ran out the open door. Sterling watched the light brown and white tipped ears and tail, she-wolf take off and shut the door. He did not want to watch her decide her fate.